Instagram Error: Another account is using my email

Problem

When I tried to create my account on Instagram, I got this error:

Another account is using xxx.xxxx@gmail.com.

I never made any account on Instagram, but still I thought may be I would have made my account years ago and then forgotten about it. So I thought to login with my email. But then I got another error:

The username you entered doesn't belong to an account. Please check your username and try again.

Wait! What? First Instagram told me that my email is already in use but when I am trying to login with my email it's saying that my email does not belong to any account. It doesn't make any sense! Right?

But I thought to try once more. Next option was to try and reset my password if I really had made my account in past, so I clicked on "Forgot password?". But when I entered my email and clicked "Send Login Link", I got another error:

No users found

Now it's getting on my nerves! It's confirmed now that it's some server bug which is creating this mess. But thankfully I found this solution for this problem.

Solution

  1. Open this link: https://help.instagram.com/contact/151081798582137
  2. Click on either I can't add my email to my Instagram account because it is already in use or I can't sign up for an account because my email is already in use option.
  3. A new textbox will appear What email address are you having problems with?
  4. Enter your email address, briefly explain the issue, then click Send.
  5. Check your email inbox. You'll get an email from Facebook (as facebook owns Instagram) with subject Email address already in use asking you to reply from the email you are reporting.
  6. Reply to that email with any simple text e.g. This is my email. Plz remove it from any linked Instagram account. This process is automated process so it doesn't really matter what you write in reply.
  7. Soon you will get an email confirmation saying your email address has been removed from Instagram account.

Congrats! Now you can create your Instagram account with your email address or add your email in your existing Instagram account without any error.

Reason of Error

Lots of accounts are created everyday on Instagram. This error happened because of some server bug. There are 2 reasons which are most likely resulted in this error:

  1. Someone else tried to register using your email but the registration process was left incomplete because he couldn't verify the email. So your email got linked but the account wasn't created fully.
  2. Somewhere in past you used Log in with Facebook option to login on Instagram. So the email address of your Facebook account got linked on Instagram.

Instagram doesn't tell the exact reason for this error. But hey! Now your error is fixed so no need to bother about it.

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